Addressing Engagement Suppression in Black and Brown Racialized Communities

Abstract

Across the United States, the politics of power, voice, and funding continues to disparately impact the health and life outcomes of most of the Black and Brown residents. At the root of the disparities can often be found a conscious and unconscious cross-sector collaboration of historically White institutions to silence, exclude, and suppress the voices and engagement of communities of color in leadership, decision making, and community and economic development. This conceptual article is based on the work of Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley (PNLV), introduces the Radical Welcome and Engagement Restoration Model (RWERM), a community practice framework that challenges structural and/or oppressive conditions and forces that suppress minority engagement. This article provides a complete description of the RWERM, highlights its theoretical assumptions, and explains how it can be implemented across the country. The potential impact of the program in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is discussed.